Monday, August 29, 2005

Damn right they should -- and that's why I spent my Bank Holiday Monday competing in the Hart Sprint Duathlon -- a 6k-20k-5k test through the Hampshire countryside.

My excuse for my lowly position in the final rankings is that the cross-country course across farmland put me at a disadvantage. It takes considerably more effort to run on soft and uneven terrain because the Cheetah doesn't return energy anything like as effectively as on a hard surface.

Even so, my cycle was reasonably competitive -- and I did cross the finish line 41 minutes ahead of the back marker!

"The NUJ and BECTU condemn the use of material from BBC World to replace regular news programmes during the lockout of more than 5,500 staff at Canadian national broadcaster CBC.

"The NUJ and BECTU call for urgent talks with BBC management to demand it takes action to stop the BBC being seen to be used by management to break the strike and to preserve the reputation of the BBC for impartiality."

The NUJ may claim to represent journalists -- but it clearly has no idea how the modern broadcast industry works.

We have reciprocal arrangements with many international broadcasters -- ABC, CBC, Al Jazeera to name just a few.

The deals mean that when a big story breaks we can immediately access the best material from the nearest national broadcaster.

To claim the BBC is taking sides in the Canadian dispute is akin to saying the Ford Motor Company supports terrorism if its cars are used by suicide bombers.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Monday, August 15, 2005

Oak trees grow from small acorns -- and it seems Cindy Sheehan's protest is having a similar effect among anti-war activists in the US.

Sheehan's campaign has only picked up patchy coverage here in Britain -- but it has been all over the American media.

Sheehan's son Casey was killed in Iraq in April 2004. She has now set up camp outside President Bush's ranch in Texas and says she's prepared to stay there for the duration of his vacation until she is granted an opportunity to speak to him.

What started as a solitary protest seems to be gathering an unstoppable momentum.

Several hundred people have now gathered at what has been dubbed "Camp Casey" to call on President Bush to withdraw US troops from Iraq.

Among those heading to Crawford to join the campaign is a friend of this blog, Lynn Bradach from Portland, Oregon.

Lynn's son Travis was killed while clearing land mines near Karbala in 2003.

Lynn will spend a week in Crawford and I'll be keeping an eye on her progress.

The site's authors offer to "store a photo of you, giving it large at the terrorists what done you in, and in the event of your body being blown to bits by a suicide bomber, we'll supply your disgusted image to all news services."

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Five years ago I worked as a volunteer on the magical St Kilda archipelago, the remotest part of the British Isles.

While there I enjoyed more than a pint or two at the Puff Inn -- a gritty watering hole at the edge of the world.

But there's shock news on the Press Association wire today; the days of hard drinking at the Puff Inn could be coming to end -- for civilians at least.

The last St Kildans left the island 75 years ago. Here's hoping the new rules at the Puff Inn don't cause another exodus.

By Louise Hosie, Scottish Press Association

Visitors to one of Britain's most remote watering holes will no longer be able to enjoy a pint after non-military staff were barred, it emerged today.

The Puff Inn on the island of St Kilda, which lies around 110 miles off the Scottish mainland, has long been a popular drinking spot for passing yachtsmen and tourists.

But today the Ministry of Defence, which owns the facility, confirmed that only defence contractors working on the island's radar tracking station will now be able to use it. An MoD spokeswoman said: "The Puff Inn is part of a number of buildings which provide accommodation for people working on the island and official MoDvisitors.

"We have become aware that we may have allowed some unofficial visitors who have been using the inn on a discretionary basis."

She said that the decision to deny entry to members of the public was due to issues of "public liability insurance" and a general need for tight security at any MoD facility.

"This is not related to an increase in security related to the London bombings," she added.

The last full-time inhabitants of St Kilda left 75 years ago, but it remains home to a variety of rare bird species.

It was also recently awarded World Heritage Status in recognition of its "cultural landscape".

HRW's paper is important, however, because it distils many of the arguments why campaigners believe the Bush administration should sign up to the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty.

The recommendations are hardly earth-shattering; the Bush administration should reverse its decision not to join the Mine Ban Treaty and should not insist on the right to use self-destruct antipersonnel mines indefinitely.

Again, HRW have been calling for this for some time.

So the Human Rights Watch paper is more of a pull-together than a source of revelations.

Even so, it's essential reading for anyone interested in landmine issues -- although I was disappointed HRW couldn't even give grudging credit to the US for spending $800 million since 1993 on humanitarian mine action programmes.

He said: ``Over 100 countries have a landmine problem and so in a lot of countries people are living in death valleys - areas littered with landmines.''

``I wanted to do something to draw attention the work of MAG - this seemed appropriate.''

``It really is an every day problem. I went to Cambodia about a year ago I was genuinely shocked because there were little children playing six inches away from a minefield.''

``Having goals like this keeps my motivation up.''

The BBC news producer was covering the Iraq war when he stepped on the mine as he got out of a jeep in April 2003. His lower right leg was amputated.

Mr Hughes, Jim Muir the BBC's veteran Tehran Correspondent and Iranian cameraman Kaveh Golestan had gone to look at an abandoned enemy trench in the small northern Iraqi town of Kifri.

Being close to enemy lines, Mr Golestan confused the explosion with artillery fire and tried to dive for cover. He died instantly after stepping on a second mine.

Cardiff-born Mr Hughes of Ealing, west London, will be wearing a lightweight carbon fibre blade-shaped leg for the charity ride which he hopes will raise #30,000.

Cycling was a vital part of his fitness regime after the blast and helped return him to good health and his job at the BBC.

Training has also included running and lots of 10km races to help build up stamina.

Today he took a spin in the British Olympic Association hot chamber at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, north west London, to help him acclimatise.

It also means he has a reason to take a backseat in the fine details of his wedding to Aileen Meldrum, 33, in September.

He joked ``I cannot plan my wedding at the moment because I'm training.''

``I'm feeling great. It is obviously difficult to start with. When a surgeon tells you that you are going to have your leg cut off it is pretty traumatic. The BBC have been great. Doing things and having goals like this keeps my motivation up.''

Mr Hughes will be part of a five-strong team taking part in the four-day Death Valley challenge.

Setting off from the town of Lone Pine, the team will travel east along Highway 136 before picking up Highway 190 through Panamint Springs.

After rolling to the bottom of Panamint Valley, a tough climb begins up the famous Town Pass - a 13 mile, 3,800 foot climb with grades of 10-13%.

The cyclists will then drop down 5000ft to Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek, from where they will head south to Badwater which, at 282ft below sea level, is the lowest point in the United States.

They cycle on to Shoshone before heading north to the finish line at Death Valley Junction.

MAG has been clearing mines since the last Gulf War in 1992, destroying hundreds of thousands of mines and unexploded bombs.

More information about MAG can be found on its website, www.mag.org.uk.